The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-02-05
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
The Care of tho state Library.
the Editor of thu Indianannlia InurnaI:

the conflict on the State library question result
ed from the advancing of theories by persons |
who were not informed on the subject but who |
cling to their ideas in spite of .facts. figures and
reason" The News declined to be classified |
among the uniformed, and demanded the facts
and figures Ipresume what it wants is facts
and figures showing that the State Board of Ed
ucation ought not to be put in charge of the
State library, as it has been persistently advo-
eating the converse Of this proposition. With
ont devotii any attention to the theoretical OBJ
jections to the State Board as custodian of the
library. we will at once proceed to facts and fig
ures. which demonstrate that the State library
should be kept as far as possible from the educa-
tional gentlemen.
In the good old days of darkness and igno-
rance, before we had trained men" to direct the
management Of our school matters, there was
established in this State uniform system OF
township libraries These libraries, in a few
years, were founded in $40 townships, and were
found to be beneficial. The reports of the SUI
perintendents of Public Instruction all through
the DOS contain the evidence of this, collected
from all parts of the State. If the News would
like to post up this subject would refer it
particularly to the report of 1857 pp. 37-42;;
167-188 The State Board of Education was at
this time composed of ordinary people. who had
not been trained" and who labored under the
impression that the common classes, VINO on an
average get two or three years of schooling in the
course of their lives might be benefited by
having access to good books. At the close OF
the war the township library system per
fected by the passage of very excellent law.
which . News will find at p 81 of the Acts OF
1865. IN the following year, the State
board having been reconstructed Of meE who had
been educated in education, the Superintendent
OF Public Instruction recommended that the
funds which had been collected under the law OF
1865 for the support Of the township libraries be
appropriated to build State normal school,
which recommendation the News Will ind at
page AZ of his report for 1866. In 1867 the Legs-
lature cut off the sustenance Of the libraries by
adopting this advice, and the ruin OF the town
ship library system was put we'll under way
The News will find this act of assassination at
page 1T of the laws of 1867 From this time
the libraries went from bad to worse, remaining
all the time under the supervision of the State
Board Of Education The Superintendent OF
Public Instruction during this time has been re-
quired by law to report brief exhibit of his
| labors and theories and append to said report
statistical tables, compiled from the materials
transmitted to his Office by the proper officers
with proper summaries, averages and totals aE-
pended thereto;" all of which the News will find
| in Section 4410 of the Revised Statutes of 1881
1t is but just to say that during this dominion
| of the trained men, there would occasionally
| appear some brave soul from outside the circle
| of the State board, who would take tilt at the
| library management. but, unhappily, without
| the least effect The News will find instances
of this kind at p 2l3 of the Superintendent
report for 1873, and at p. 196 of the report for
| 1884, Part g In the last twenty years there has
been no legislation which could benefit these Ii
braries: and if the State Board of Education has
| ever recommended any it has made the move
| SO quietly as to keep it profound secret from
| all who would gladly have assisted in advocat-
ing the passage of judicious laws for the resur-
rection and vitalization of these val
liable means of education More than
this: The information furnished in
! the reports of the State Superintendent
of Public instruction has from year to year
| grown more meagre, until it eliminates in the
current report in single table of statistics, and
| this table is so imperfect and misleading that no
| one can understand it until he has gathered In
| formation on the subject from other sources.
| If the News will secure a copy of this last re-
port of the Superintendent of Public Instruction,
which is in several respects one of the most re-
niarkable volumes the State has ever paid for, il
will find some 375 pages of ''brief exhibit of all
| the work done by the various societies of which
| the State Superintendent and his able assistant
| have been Misunderstanding circles township
institutes, county Institutes, county superintend
| ents association, national educational assoca-
! ton, etc. 1t will also find a lurd his
tory of education in Indiana. beginning with the
| French missionaries of 1872, for which space
might have been obtained in the political depart
| ment of almost any newspaper at the rate oil
ten cents line Following this biographical
department will be found about eighty pages oil
statistics" in which, at pages 248, 249 and $50
occur the statistics of the township libraries fol-
the past two years, purporting to give the mum
Der of volumes, the circulation and the increase
The News may possibly be puzzled to know
what is meant by ''the township library Of
Adams and the other counties of the State
inasmuch as there is no such thing; but let i
not be discouraged. What the statistician mea n:
is the aggregate of the township libraries in the
respective counties, as We have learned by out
side investigations.
CHANGING over the figures given the News will
A. L. - e.
period of great commissions in library circles
The township library of Allen" which hat
296 volumes in 1885, has fallen to 3, 34l in 1886
That of Howard has grown from 800 volumes t,
l 1862 although it has increased only 215 vol
umes. That of Parke has diminished from
23l7 to l,752, although it increased 5
a green bay tree. 1t increased
only 759 volumes. and yet 1t had but 1,570 vol
umes in 1885, and had 1887 in 1886. When tn
grand total is reached the News will learn that
although the township libraries Of the Stat
have increased $50 Volumes there are 2 23
volumes less in these libraries than there wer
year earlier. But our contemporary may sa
this is due to imperfect Information Furnished
!, the State Superintendent. To some extent tina
is correct, but it occurs to us that the Superin
} tendent might have made greater exertons t
get the needed information, and, If he failed
might have suggested some improvement in tn
methods of obtaining information now provide
by law. At any rate. he might have explaine
why his report presented such extraordinary re
suits, and informed the public tina. his statistic
were utterly unreliable.
, But this tissue of absurdity is not altogethe
, due to misinformation If the News will cas-
! it's eye on the report for Marion county, it wi
. discover that s'the township library of Marion
8 had 40. 069 volumes in 1885, and had Al, 0s5 i
1886, although it increased ,428 volumes durin
the year. Now the nine township libraries
Marion county contain less than 500
volumes, and the only library in Indian
that has 1000 volumes, or anything like thu
t number, is the city library of Indianapolis
r which is not and never q township library
If the News wishes to verify these statements
can have the opportunity by inqnirng at the Cit
: library and the Office of the county superinten,
ent of public instruction. It is evident that tt
. city library is in way included in this al
gregate, and examination of the figures fl
!. Allen, Tppecanoe. Vanderburg, Vigo ar
' Wayne counties viii satisfy the investigator tn;